Big waistline, early death?

In the study of more than 100,000 men and women ages 50 and up, those with the largest waistlines (47 inches or larger for men, 42 inches or larger for women) were about twice as likely to die from any cause during the nine years for which data was examined. The association held up among people of normal weight and those who were overweight and obese. Among women, though, the link was strongest for those of normal weight.

Carrying extra fat around the midsection has been associated with increased risk of such conditions as Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It's believed that visceral fat -- the kind surrounding the internal organs -- poses a greater threat to your health than fat carried under your skin (subcutaneous fat).

An article that uses words like "correlation" and "association with" means there is no evidence of "cause and effect" between the one thing and the second thing.

In fact, the only way to determine such a thing is by looking at each and every death certificate of those who died, and seeing if "excess belly fat" or some such thing has been listed by the attending physician as, in fact, the primary cause of death. This study did not do that (no studies ever do).

And notice the article did not say an increase in belly size will "cause" you to die prematurely. That's because the study could not support such a flat-out assertion either.

Apparently today's media is unable or unwilling to apply more stringent standards in determining whether the "news" they are reporting is really "news."